The U.S. names a new AI-focused supercomputer "Doudna" after Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna to advance genomics and scientific research at Berkeley Lab.
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| The Department of Energy unveils ‘Doudna,’ a next-gen supercomputer named after gene-editing pioneer Jennifer Doudna, to drive AI and scientific breakthroughs. Image: CH |
Berkeley, USA — May 30, 2025:
A next-generation supercomputer named “Doudna” will soon power artificial intelligence and cutting-edge scientific research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S. officials announced Thursday.
Named after Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Jennifer Doudna, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, the high-performance computing system will support advanced research in genomics and other scientific fields. Doudna is renowned for her pioneering work on the gene-editing technology CRISPR, which earned her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.
The announcement was made by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who was joined by Dell Technologies executives and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Dell has been contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy to build the system, which is set to go live in 2026 at Berkeley Lab’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).
"One of the key use cases will be genomics research," said Dion Harris, an executive in Nvidia’s AI and high-performance computing division. “It was basically just a nod to her contributions to the field.”
The Doudna system joins a lineage of supercomputers at Berkeley Lab named after Nobel laureates, including astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter and biochemist Gerty Cori. It will become a crucial resource for scientists using AI to accelerate discoveries in biology, energy, climate, and materials science.
It’s not yet known how Doudna will rank on the TOP500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. The current No. 1, El Capitan, is located just an hour away at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, followed by top machines at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.
While the Doudna system’s technical specifications are still under wraps, its design reflects a broader push by the U.S. government to integrate advanced AI computing into scientific infrastructure and ensure American leadership in both science and technology.
As the AI revolution continues to reshape scientific research, the Doudna supercomputer is poised to become a cornerstone of U.S. efforts to harness artificial intelligence for public good and breakthrough innovation.